Surface marking apparatus



April 9, 1957 RAW. WILSON ETAL SURFACE MARKING APPARATUS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec 51. 1954 FIG 4 ATTORNEY A ril 9, 1957 R. w. WILSON ETAL 2,788,240

SURFACE MARKING APPARATUS A Filed Dec. 31, 1954 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS $4M WWW Q BY M ATTORNEY atent 2,788,240 Patented Apr. 9, 1957 SURFAQE MARKING APPARATUS Rufus W. Wilson and Robert B. Bagshaw, Huntingdon, la., assignors to Wald Industries, Inc, Hunfingdon, Pa., a corporation of Pennsylvania Application December 31, 1954, Serial No. 47 9,036

6 Claims. (Cl. 299-25) The present invention relates to apparatus for marking a surface. More particularly, the present invention relates to apparatus for continuously applying an inter rupted stripe or dash line to the surface of a road, high way or the like.

In applying a marking to a surface, such as a road or highway, it is frequently desirable to form the marking in a discontinuous manner to effect an interrupted or dash line. The interrupted line or stripe may indicate a center line, or may flank a solid center stripe to indicate a passing zone on the highway, Or may indicate some specific location such as a parking lane.

Prior to the instant invention, the apparatus for applying an interrupted stripe generally consisted of the usual paint striping apparatus which included a self-propelled vehicle having a paint generating means mounted thereon which was adapted to spray a jet of paint binder onto a surface to effect the marking. Originally, in order to form the interrupted stripe or skip-line as it is commonly known, the operator of the striping apparatus manually controlled the operation of the machine to effect the skip-line. However, manual control gave inconsistent results and the lengths of the dash lines would thus vary. There has been developed in recent years skip-line striping machines that were designed to automatically apply dash lines of predetermined lengths and, although these heretofore known machines gave fairly consistent results, they were not completely satisfactory from an overall viewpoint. That is, these prior devices were large, cumbersome and expensive, requiring complicated driving systems and many component parts, thereby increasing production and maintenance costs. Moreover, these prior machines were designed primarily for skip-line operations and were not easily adapted to applying the conventional solid line. it is seen that it is desirable to employ a machine that not only will apply a continuous marking or stripe, but, in addition, may be adapted to apply an interrupted or dash line. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an attachment for a paint striping machine that is adapted to be utilized for the purpose of applying an interrupted or dash line to a surface.

Another object of the present invention is to provide self-propelled road marking machines adapted to have attached thereto apparatus for applying an interrupted stripe to a surface in predetermined lengths.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide road striping apparatus wherein striping material is automatically controlled in response to the move ment of the vehicle to which the apparatus is attached.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a road striping self-propelled vehicle which includes means for generating a spray of paint, the paint generating means being automatically controlled by dash-line control apparatus attached to the vehicle.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide dash-line applying apparatus which includes a cam that is directly driven by a ground-engaging wheel of the apparatus to operate a control valve.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for road striping apparatus wherein the attachment includes a ground-engaging wheel that is adapted to automatically operate a control valve to effect an interrupted or dash-line.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for road striping apparatus wherein the attachment includes a cam that is formed with a predetermined contour, the cam controlling the application of paint binder when it is applied to a surface to be marked.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an attachment for road marking apparatus wherein the contour of the cam that controls the operation of the apparatus may be modified to vary the length of the stripe to be applied to the surface to be marked.

Other objects and the nature and advantages of the instant invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view of a self-propelled vehicle for applying a road marker or stripe and includes the attachment embodied in the present invention for effecting an interrupted or dash-line;

Fig. 2 is a rear elevational view of the vehicle shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the attachment for effecting the interrupted line;

Fig. 4- is an enlarged view with parts shown in section or" the attachment shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic illustration of the paint striping apparatus showing the operation of the attachment embodied herein;

Fig. 6 is an exploded perspective view of a modified cam for the attachment; and

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of another modification of the cam.

Generally, the present invention comprises a unit that is adapted to be attached to a conventional road striping machine, the unit modifying the operation of the machine to elfect the application of an intermittent paint stripe or dash-line on a road or highway. Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, a conventional paint striping machine is illustrated and comprises a self-propelled vehicle generally indicated at 10. The vehicle includes a frame 12 which has mounted thereon the equipment for driving the vehicle and for applying the paint stripe to the surface to be marked. The frame 12 is mounted on a triangular wheel base that includes rear traction wheels 14- and a front wheel 16. A gasoline engine 18 is mounted adjacent the front of the vehicle and drives a compressor 20 through a pulley 22 and in addition drives the traction wheels 14 through suitable belts and pulleys and friction wheels 24 to propel the vehicle. The compressor 2d supplies the necessary compressed air to operate a pair of paint guns 26 (Fig. 2) suitably mounted on the frame 12 and which define paint generating means for applying the paint to the surface to be marked. The compressor 26 not only supplies air to control the operation of the paint guns 26, as will hereinafter be described, but in addition supplies air thereto for atomizing the paint binder to be applied to the surface to be marked. Mounted on the vehicle 10 is a receptacle 28 which contains the paint binder to be applied to the surface to be marked and also mounted on the vehicle is a receptacle 3% which contains small spheres or autocollimating units which are adapted to be placed on the surface of the newly applied paint binder, which practice is well known in the art.

Normally, the vehicle is adapted to move along the surface of the road to be marked, the paint guns 26 being controlled to spray a continuous stream of paint binder on the surface to effect the desired marking. Autocollimating glass beads are continuously dropped from dispensers 32 located rearwardly of the paint guns as and thereby refiectorize the marking as is Well known in the art. In order to apply an interrupted or dash-line marking, the paint guns 26 and sphere dispensers 32 must be intermittently operated and for this purpose a separate unit or skip-line attachment is provided and is illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The skip-line attachment comprises a ground wheel that is rotatably mounted on a stub shaft 42, the stub shaft 42 being secured from rotation in a bracket 44 mounted on the frame 12. Rotatably mounted on the stub shaft 42 and secured to the ground wheel 40 by bolts 46 is a worm gear 48. Integrally ioined to the worm gear 48 is a flange 5d that is provided with threaded openings 52 that are adapted to receive the bolts 46, the flange 5d thus providing the means for securing the worm gear 48 to the ground wheel 40. Referring now to Fig. 4, the worm gear 48 is shown operatively engaging a gear 5 2 that is secured to a vertically extending shaft 5s. The shaft 56 is journalled for rotation in a bushing 58 mounted in a block 60 that is secured to the bracket dd by a bolt 62. Also fixed to the shaft 56 is a cam generally indicated at 64 which includes a base portion 66 that is seated on a washer 63, the washer 68 receiving the shaft 56 therein and being mounted on the block 66. The cam 64 also includes an upper flange portion 70 that is formed with a face having a predetermined contour. As shown particularly in Figs. 3 and 4, the face of the cam is formed with a raised portion '72 which extends approximately one-half the circumference of the cam face, the other half of the cam face being flat. The edges of the raised portion 72 are inclined and thereby enable a stationary follower 74 to conveniently move thereover in response to the rotation of the cam. It is seen, therefore, as the ground wheel 40 is rotated, due to the forward movement of the vehicle 10, the worm wheel 48 will be rotated, thereby rotating the gear 54. Rotation of the gear 54 will rotate the cam 64, thereby causing the follower 74 to rise and fall on the raised portion 72 and the flat portion, respectively, of the cam.

Referring now to Fig. 5, the skip-line attachment is shown operatively connected to the paint spraying apparatus and the glass bead dispensing apparatus for controlling the operation thereof to effect the interrupted or dash-line marking. In order to control the operation of the paint guns 26 and sphere dispensers 32, a control valve generally indicated at is provided and includes a housing 82 having a bore 84 formed therein. Slidably mounted in the bore 84 is a slide or plunger 86 that is formed with a reduced neck portion 88 and that has a bifurcated portion defining arms 90 integrally joined to the lower end thereof. As shown in Pig. the follower 74 is secured between the arms 90 of the plunger 86 and the plunger 86 will thus be caused to reciprocate in timed relation in response to the rotation of the cam 64. A spring 92 is positioned in the upper portion of the bore 84 and abuts against the uppermost end of the plunger 86, the plunger thereby being normally urged to a downwardly position. The reduced portion 88 of the plunger 86 defines an annular chamber 94 which is adapted to communicate with an inlet port 96 and outlet ports 98 and 10% formed in the housing 82. The port 96 communicates with an air line or conduit 102 that is connected to a manually controlled valve 1M. The valve 104 receives compressed air from a manifold 106 through an air line 167, the manifold in turn receiving the compre s'sed air from the compressor 20 through an air line 108. Compressedair is supplied to an inlet port 11th of the paint guns 26 through air lines 111, 112, the air Cit line 111 being connected to the valve 164. The air introduced into the paint gun through port is adapted to atomize the paint binder during the spraying operation, as is well known in the art. The paint binder to e atomized for spraying onto the surface to be marked is introduced into the paint gun 26 through a conduit 114- Which is connected to the paint receptacle 28. Although only one paint gun is illustrated in Fig. 5, it is understood that an air line 113 and paint binder supply conduit similar to conduit 114- may be employed to supply air and paint binder to the second paint gun. if necessary, additional paint guns may be mounted on the frame of the vehicle 19 as desired and connected in the manner described above.

Communicating with the outlet ports $8 and 3 3%) of the control valve 8t? are conduits 116 and 113, respectively, which are connected to the paint guns 26, through air lines 120, 122. The air supplied to the paint guns as through the conduits 12 i, 222; operates a spring biased valve (not shown) located in each of the paint guns, the valves being adapted to control the flow of paint binder through the paint gun nozzles. Thus, if air is admitted into the conduits iii), 122, the paint gun nozzle control valves will be opened to permit the spraying of the paint binder through the nozzles onto the surface to be marked. Also communicating with the conduits 116, 118 are air lines 124, 126 which are connected to the glass sphere dispensers 32. Arotor 128 located in each of the sphere dispensers is adapted to be operated by the air supplied through the lines 124, 126 and the glass spheres are thus caused to be dispensed through the bottom of the dispenser 32 onto the freshly applied paint binder. It is seen that by controlling the flow of air through the outlet ports 98, 1650 the operation of the paint guns 26 and the sphere dispensers 32; will be controlled. Although sphere dispensers are illustrated, it is also contemplated to premix the paint binder and spheres, which would therefore eliminate the necessity of employing sphere dispensers in the device embodied herein.

The operation of the device is as follows:

The operation of the device as described relates to a single paint and sphere dispenser, but it is apparent that other paint guns and dispensers will be operated in a similar manner. The self-propelled vehicle 10 is moved into position on the surface to be marked and propelled in a forwardly direction. The manual control valve 104 is then actuated to permit air from the compressor 2% to enter the port 116 of the paint gun 26 and the inlet port 96 of the control valve 80. As the vehicle it moves forwardly, the ground wheel 46 rotates thereby causing rotation of the worm gear 48. Rotation of the worm gear 48 results in rotation of the cam 64, whereupon the plunger 86 is alternately raised and lowered in response to the movement of the follower 74 on the face of the cam. It is understood that the cam may be formed with any predetermined contour and a variation thereof will be'described hereinafter. As the plunger 86 is moved upwardly in response to the follower '74 reaching the raised portion 72 of the cam 64, the inlet port 96 will be uncovered allowing communication between the port 96 and the outlet ports 98 and 105). Compressed air then enters the paint gun 26 and sphere dispenser 32. resulting in the operation thereof, and this operation will continue untilthe follower '74 reaches the low portion of the cam face. At this point, the plunger tie is urged downwardly by the spring 92 closing the port 96. The spray of paint binder from the paint gun 26 and the dispensing of the glass spheres from the sphere dispenser 32 are thus interrupted until the cam has rotated to the point where the follower '74 again engages the raised portion 72 of the cam. It is seen that the paint gun 26 and sphere dispenser 32 will operate periodically at predetermined intervals and the operation thereof is dependent on the contour formed on the cam face.

Referring to' Fig 6, a variation of the cam described arsaeao above is shown, wherein a cam generally indicated at 130 is illustrated, being formed in a two-piece construction. The cam 130comprises a lower plate 132- having a central opening 134 and an eccentric opening 136 formed therein. An upper plate 133 is adapted to be secured to the lower plate 132 and is formed with a central opening 140 and an eccentric opening 142, the eccentric openings 136, 142 communicating and receiving a bolt 143 for securing the upper and lower plates together and the central openings 134, 140 communicaa ing and receiving the shaft 56 therein. As shown in Pig. 6, the upper plate 138 has an integrally raised portion 144 formed thereon, which defines the contour for determining the operation of the paint guns 26 and sphere dispensers 32.

As shown in Fig. 7, the cam contour may be varied by providing an adjustable plate 145 that is adapted to be secured to a lower or base plate 146. The lower plate 146 is formed with a raised portion 14-8 that defines one operating position of the control valve 3 The upper plate 145 is of a smaller diameter than the lower plate 146 and is adapted to fit within the arc defined by the raised portion 148. Formed on the adjustable plate 145 is a raised portion 150 which defines a second operating position of the device, while a slot 152 is also formed in the upper plate 145 and is adapted to communicate with an opening 154 formed in the lower plate 146. A bolt 156 extends through the slot 152 and the opening 154 and thus secures the upper and lower plates together. It is seen that by rotating the plate 145' with respect to the plate 146 and within the limits defined by the slot 152, the operating positions of the control valve 30 may be varied so that a dash-line of a variety of lengths and frequency may be effected. It is understood, of course, that in the modified version of the cam illustrated in Fig. 7, the follower 74 secured to the plunger 86 of the control valve would be replaced by a wider follower to compensate for the difference in diameter of the upper and lower plates 145, 146 and the displacement of the raised portions 148, 150 when the plates are secured together.

By providing a conventional striper with the attachment described herein, a dash-line is easily obtained at a minimum of initial cost and maintenance. The cycle of the dash-line may be changed as desired by changing or adjusting the cam. It is also within the scope of the present invention to provide special cams which would be employed with modified control valves to paint double, intermittent, parallel or staggered stripes or a staggered pair of intermittent stripes.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention and therefore the invention is not limited to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification but only as indicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. In apparatus for marking a surface, a ground engaging wheel, means for generating a spray of paint, a control valve operatively connected to said generating means for controlling the operation thereof, a worm gear secured to said ground-engaging wheel, a sprocket gear engaging said worm gear and rotated thereby, a cam secured to said sprocket gear, said cam having a face formed in a predetermined contour, a follower engaging said cam face and secured to said control valve, said follower moving over the cam contour as said cam rotates to cause said valve to reciprocate in a predetermined rnanner, said valve periodically restricting the flow of air to said generating means to provide for the intermittent operation thereof, said generating means thereby applying an interrupted marking on said surface.

2. In apparatus for marking a surface, a ground engaging wheel, means for generating a spray of paint, a

control valve operatively connected to said generating means and adapted to supply air thereto for controlling the operation thereof, cam means engaging said control valve for causing reciprocation thereof thereby providing for the intermittent supply of air to said generating means, said cam means including a bottom plate and a top plate, said top plate having a raised portion formed thereon for defining the length of the interrupted marking, and means directly connected to said ground engaging wheel for driving said cam means and causing rotation theren, said generating means operating in response to the intermittent supply of air thereto to spray an interrupted marking on said surface.

3. In apparatus for marking a surface as set forth in claim 2, wherein said top plate is adjustable with respect to said bottom plate to vary the length and frequency of said marking.

4. in apparatus for marking a surface, a ground engaging wheel, means for generating a spray of paint, drive means operatively connected to said wheel, cam means mounted on said frame and adapted to be rotated by said drive means, said cam means having a face formed with a predetermined contour, a valve operatively engaging said cam means and reciprocated in response to the rotation thereof to intermittently control the supply of air to said paint generating means, said drive means including an axle secured to said ground engaging wheel, a worm gear joined to said axle and rotated thereby, a sprocket gear engaging said worm gear, said sprocket gear being secured to a vertically extending shaft, and said cam means being secured to the upper end of said shaft and rotated thereby causing said valve means to reciprocate.

5. 1n apparatus for marking a surface, an attachment for eifecting an interrupted marking on said surface, said attachment including a ground engaging wheel having a shaft secured thereto, a worm gear secured to said shaft, a gear engaging said worm gear and having a vertically extending shaft secured thereto for rotation therewith, a cam secured to the upper end of said gear shaft and being formed with a predetermined contour, a follower engaging said cam, and a valve secured to said follower and adapted to be reciprocated in response to the movement of said follower over said cam, the reciprocating movement of said valve thereby controlling the operation of the surface marking apparatus to effect the interrupted marking on said surface.

6. In apparatus for marking a surface, an attachment for effecting an interrupted marking on said surface, said attachment including a ground engaging wheel having a horizontally positioned shaft secured thereto, a worm gear secured to said shaft and rotatable therewith, a gear engaging said worm gear having a vertically extending shaft secured thereto, said last-named gear transferring the drive from the horizontally positioned shaft to the vertically extending shaft, a cam secured to the upper end of said vertically extending shaft, and a control valve operatively engaging said cam, said control valve being responsive to the rotation of said cam to control the operation of the surface marking apparatus whereby the interrupted marking on said surface is effected.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,141,503 Street June 1, 1915 2,065,998 Emmons Dec. 29, 1936 2,301,847 Beaman Nov. 10, 1942 2,301,848 Beaman Nov. 10, 1942 2,304,726 Beaman Dec. 8, 1942 2,345,653 Blumberg Apr. 4, 1944 2,396,981 Blumberg Mar. 19, 1946 2,516,173 Ballew July 25, 1950 

